As most vehicle owners know, engine-lubricating fluid plays an important role in the proper operation of a vehicle engine. Not only does the lubricating fluid provide lubrication for the valves and other moving parts in the engine, it also helps to dissipate the heat generated by the engine and also cleans moving engine parts. Excessive heat and certain impurities found in many engines may cause the lubricating fluid, and the additives typically contained in the lubricating fluid, to become dirty and to start to break down, resulting in reduced lubrication and cleaning ability. Accordingly, it is considered very desirable to periodically change the lubricating fluid in order to maintain proper engine operation.
Suggested engine lubricating fluid change intervals vary depending primarily on the manner in which the vehicle is driven and the environmental conditions under which the vehicle is driven. Additionally, most engine manufacturers will generally recommend appropriate intervals for replacing the engine lubricating fluid for their specific engines. In order to maintain proper engine operation and reduce the likelihood of engine failure, most vehicle owners follow the recommended guidelines and replace the engine lubricating fluid on a periodic basis. In order to remind the vehicle operator of the need to periodically change the engine lubricating fluid, most manufacturers will provide a visual reminder to the owner/operator, such as a lighted icon or message displayed on a control panel or dashboard.
In order to accurately determine when to change the lubricating fluid for a given engine, the vehicle's engine control module (ECM) will typically monitor the operating conditions of the engine and, based on the expected “fluid life” of the lubricating fluid, activate the visual reminder to change the lubricating fluid after the appropriate interval. The interval for changing the fluid is typically based on parameters such as the number of miles the car has traveled since the last lubricating fluid change, the number of times the engine has been started, the number of cylinder firings, the average operating temperature of the engine, etc. Once the expected fluid life has been reached, the indicator will be activated and the vehicle can be serviced. Then, once the engine lubricating fluid has been replaced, the service technician will manually reset the fluid life monitoring system within the ECM to indicate the start of a new operational period for the new lubricating fluid.
While the current fluid life monitoring systems have been somewhat successful, there are some concerns that remain to be addressed. For example, some vehicle owner/operators may simply forget or neglect to change the lubricating fluid at the appropriate time, even if the change fluid indicator is activated. Additionally, some leased vehicles, especially when leased for a short period of time, may be operated for extended periods of time without the proper maintenance, including recommended fluid changes. Further, some owners may try to reduce the short-term operational costs associated with their vehicle by running the engine beyond the recommended intervals without changing the lubricating fluid in the engine. In any of these situations, the owner/operator can simply choose to manually reset the fluid life monitoring system and continue driving the vehicle without actually changing the lubricating fluid. This, in turn, may lead to premature wear of the engine's components and may result in less than optimal engine performance.
The issue of compliance with the manufacturer's recommended fluid change procedures can become an issue when the engine performance deteriorates and the responsibilities of the manufacturer under the engine warranty are considered. For example, if a vehicle's owner/operator has not replaced the engine lubricant at the manufacturer's recommended intervals, undue engine wear and possible damage may be directly related to the operator's failure to change the lubricating fluid and not due to the normal operational wear associated with the engine or manufacturing defects.
While the manufacturer may not be contractually required to repair or replace an improperly maintained engine, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, for the manufacturer to determine if the engine has been serviced in accordance with the appropriate guidelines. Since the fluid life monitoring system is relatively simple to reset, there is no guarantee that the lubricating fluid has actually been changed. The result is that, in certain circumstances, the manufacturer may be required to repair or replace engines and/or related components when the vehicle owner/operator, not the engine, is really the source of the problem.
In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that it would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus for more reliably monitoring and capturing information relative to the frequency of change for the engine lubricating fluid. Furthermore, additional desirable features will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the foregoing background of the invention and following detailed description of a preferred exemplary embodiment and appended claims.